Chain-wrench.



G. W. GRUVER. CHAIN WRENCH.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 12, 1912.

1,086,323, Patented Feb. 3,1914.

0 5 0 0 0 v l lnventgr,

Attorneys.

S ATES PATENT GFCE.

GEORGE W. GRUVER, 0F BAKERSFIELD, CALIFORNIA.

CHAIN WRENCH.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed J u1y 12, 1912.

Patented Feb. 3,1914.

Serial No. 709,050.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE W. Gnovnn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bakersfield, in the county of Kern and State of California, have invented a new and useful Chain rench, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to pipe wrenches, and constitutes an improvement on an im plement of this character for which Letters Patent of the United States were granted me January 81, 1911, Number 982,951.

The object of the present invention is, in a ready and practical manner, to provide a plurality of gripping faces on the jaws, whereby in addition to the utilization of the Walls of the fork of the wrench head for doing efi'ective work, the outer edges of the jaw members may be also utilized for this purpose, thus to adapt the wrench for working in confined spaces with practically the same efficiency as though the space were unconfined.

A further object is in a novel and practical manner to compensate for the slack of the chain, so as to render any extent of adjustment thereof to cause it to become effective as a gripping member, unnecessary, and also to insure its positive coaction with a pipe, or other object being operated upon.

A further object is to facilitate the reciprocatory operations of the wrench, by providing novel means whereby one of the jaws will be rendered inoperative as a gripping member, so that inthe manipulation of the wrench to obtain a fresh purchase on the object operated upon, there will be no resistance presented by the other jaw.

With the above, and other objects in view, as will appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the novel construction and combination of th parts of a pipe wrench, as will hereinafter be fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification and in which like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts;Figure l is a view in side elevation, partly in section, of one form of pipe wrench constructed in accordance with the present invention. Fig. 2 is an edge view of the same. Fig. 3 is a view in side elevation of a slightly modified form of wrench. Fig. 4: is a view in elevation of an attachment in the nature of a clevis, to be combined with a wrench as shown in Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is an edge view of a rotary cutter that may be combined with the clevis or frame shown in Fig. l to constitute the attachment a pipe cutter.

Referring to the drawings, 1 designates the handle or stock of the wrench, to which is secured a head comprising two members 2 and 3, in the nature of plates, each being a counter-part of the other, and secured to the handle by a bolt or rivet 4, the opposed faces of that portion of the head member that receives the handle beingchanneled as indicated by dotted lines at 5 in Fig. 2 to receive the handle, and thus positively hold it against any swinging movementupon its rivet. That portion of each of the head members housing the endof the handle is provided on its outer edge with a plurality of hooks 6, three in this instance being shown, it being understood that a greater number may be employed if found necessary or desirable, and the bases 7 of the hooks are equally spaced apart: for a purpose that will presently appear.

Each head member is provided with two jaws 8, of the alligator type, the outer and inner edges of which are toothed or serrated in order to provide pipe-gripping members. the provision of the four active faces operating to adapt the wrench for use in various positions where it would be of no use were it merely provided with teeth in the crotches of the jaws, as is usual in wrenches of this type.

Secured by a rivet 9 between the jaws is a block which is capable of free swinging movement on the pivot, and is provided with two arcuate slots 10 to receive pins 11 that operate not only to limit the swinging movement of the block, but also to hold the jaw members of the. head against spreading. This block,-as shown in Fig. 2 is composed of two members, each provided at its smaller end with a rivet or pin 12 that serves to hold one of the terminal links 13 of a chain lefirmly fixed between the block members. The chain is flat, of the sprocket type, and the pins or rivets 15 which hold the links assembled project beyond the sides of the links in order to permit of their engaging with the hooks 6, and thus hold the chain securely around a pipe 1?. In practice, the distance between the centers of any two pivots or pins is less than that between the walls 7 of any two of the hooks, whereby to compensate for slack in the chain with but relatively short adjustment thereof. By this arrangement, no two pins or rivets can ever be in engagement with two of the hooks, so that should slack have to be taken up, the range of adjustment of the same will be slight.

As shown in Fig. 1, a pipe is gripped by the outer edge of one of the jaw members 8, this being exhibited by the manner in which the wrench works where the latter jaws are utilized.

When a pipe is gripped between the fork of the jaws, it is not essential that it should engage with both of the serrated edges thereof, as this is disadvantageous where the handle is reciprocated for the purpose of taking afresh grip upon the pipe or the like and to obviate this, there is a clevis or frame pro-- vided, comprising two arms or members 16 connected by a cross brace 17 the latter having combined with it at its intermediate point a thumb screw 18. The intermediate portion of each of the arms is reinforced at 19 and is orificed to receive a pivot or screw 20 that passes through a suitable opening in the head, and holds the clevis pivotally connected therewith. The outer end of each of the arms carries a roller 21, which is held assembled therewith by a screw 22 or the like, and these rollers are designed to rest upon the object operated upon to render the teeth of the inactive jaw inoperative as shown in Fig. 3, and thus hold the pipe out of contact therewith. In addition to this function, the frame also operates as a takeup, as by turning the set screw in the appropriate direction, the rollers can be forced against the pipe, and the latter into engagement with the same, thus to render the chain taut, and firmly hold the pipe in engagement with the opposite j aw. Should it be desired to cause the implement to operate as a pipe cutter, a suitable roller 23 may be substituted for one or more rollers 21., and thus secure the object sought.

The implement herein designed, while simple in character, will be found thoroughly effective for the purpose designed, and will co-act in the presentation of a durable and highly efiicient form of pipe wrench.

hat is claimed is 1. In a wrench, a stationary head embodying spaced alligator jaws, toothed on their inner and outer edges, whereby to provide four pipe-gripping faces all disposed at the same end of the head, two oppositely disposed sets of hooks carried by the head, a pivoted chain connecting block mounted between the jaws, and a chain having one end pivoted to the block and provided with out standing pivots to be engaged with one hook of either set at a time.

2. A wrench, including a stationary head embodying spaced alligator jaws, said jaws being toothed on their inner and outer edges to provide four pipe-gripping faces at the same end of. the head, a block pivotally mounted for swinging movement between the jaws and provided with two arcuate slots therethrough, two pins connected to the jaws one disposed to each slot for limiting the swinging movement of the block, a chain having one terminal pivotally connected to the block at the end remote from the point of pivoting thereof, and cooperating means carried by each link of the chain and upon opposite sides of the head at a point remote from the jaws for locking the free end of the chain when in pipe gripping position.

In a wrench, a head embodying jaws, spaced hooks carried by the opposite sides of the head, a chain having one end secured between the jaws and provided with outstanding pivot-s to interlock with the hooks, and a clevis pivotally connected with the head and provided at one end with adjusting means and at its other end with rollers for engaging with the object operated upon to render one of the jaws inactive.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto afliXed my signature 7 in the presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE vV. GRUVltE.

Viitnesses T. F. Fox, R. M. ELLIOTT.

Copies: of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

